Tenant Improvement Stair Coordination Checklist

Confirm the scope and the code path early

A tenant improvement stair can be a required exit stair, a feature stair, or a non-required service stair. Each category carries different code, fire-rating, and inspection rules. Settle the scope with the architect of record at the start of the project so the steel fabricator is not designing into the wrong code package.

• Required exit stair vs feature stair vs non-required service stair.
• Occupancy classification under BCBC Part 3 or VBBL.
• Whether the stair is inside a fire-rated shaft or in an open atrium.
• Whether the AHJ has any project-specific letters or amendments on file.

Lock the structural drawings before fabrication

The fabricator needs sealed structural drawings, the engineer's connection schedule, and confirmed floor-to-floor heights before steel is cut. Tenant improvement projects often discover surprises in the existing slab — embeds, conduits, or thickness variations. Confirm the as-built conditions in writing before the shop drawings are approved for fabrication.

Coordinate the fire-rated interface

Stairs inside a fire-rated shaft need a clean interface with the rated wall assembly, the rated landing, and the fire-rated door at each level. The wall is built by another trade. The fabricator delivers the steel. Confirm interface dimensions, door swing, hardware requirements, and inspection windows with the architect and the GC before fabrication.

Plan the install window and the access

Most tenant improvement stairs install during a narrow window — overnight, on a weekend, or during a phased shutdown. The install plan has to account for door widths, elevator dimensions, freight elevator capacity, finished floor protection, and the lift method. Discover an access problem in the planning phase, not on install night.

• Door and elevator dimensions for the largest pre-assembled component.
• Floor protection over finished surfaces along the install path.
• Crane, hoist, or telehandler access if the stair lands at upper floors.
• Coordination with security, building management, and tenants below.

Confirm the inspection schedule

Commercial stair installs almost always need engineer-of-record review and AHJ inspections. Schedule those inspections before the install window so the work can be signed off without holding the GC's schedule. Drywall, fire-rated assemblies, and finishes installed over un-inspected steel are the most common avoidable rework on a TI stair.

Document the as-built

Every TI stair becomes part of the building's record. The fabricator's documentation package — shop drawings, mill certs, weld documentation where applicable, and installation reports — is what the building's owner inherits. Deliver the package as part of project closeout, not as a follow-up.